Serena Potter Chronicles - Book One
by snapefan394
Summary: What if Harry had been born a girl? What if Severus Snape had been the one to retrieve her for her shopping? What if the first magical people she met were the Malfoys, and they were nice to her? Severus slightly OC. Fem!Harry. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK. Rowling does.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; if I did, Severus would never have died.**

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Chapter One

Serena Potter, a young girl ten years of age, sat inside her dark, damp cupboard under the stairs of number four, Privet Drive glad to be left alone for a while. While she hated the cramped space in which she lived, it was also her sanctuary, the one place in this house where she found peace and where she could tend to her wounds. You see, she was very different from her only living relatives; while Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley were very ordinary, and proud of it, Serena was far from it. Weird things tended to happen when she was upset or scared; things would disappear or appear out of nowhere, and even she herself would disappear from one place and appear in another. Her emerald green eyes would glow eerily when she was angry, and her injuries would magically heal if she wished it.

Ever since Serena had been placed on the Dursleys' doorstep, they had treated her with disgust and distain. They treated her like a slave, forcing her to cook, clean and garden since she could walk. She was only allowed to eat table scraps, if she was allowed to eat at all. Ever since the first weird accident she had caused, her uncle had started to beat her, to "beat out the freakishness." Dudley, however, was treated like a prince. He ate as much as he liked, which made him about as big as a baby whale. He got an overabundance of gifts for his birthday and Christmas, while Serena got beatings or nothing if she was lucky. He got whatever he wanted, or threw a very violent tantrum until he did. Serena was his favorite punching bag. Whenever he got too big for his clothes, they were given to Serena, the only clothes she would receive. Unfortunately, they were three sizes too big, so they gave her a piece of rope to hold up her trousers, and safety pins to keep the shirts from showing off her chest.

There was one big rule in the Dursley house that she was never to break; she was never to ask about her dead parents or the lightning bolt scar on her forehead. She had asked once, just to see what they would do and say. They told her that her father was a drunk and her mother was no better. They said her father had been driving drunk and crashed, killing her parents and giving her the scar. Then her uncle proceeded to beat her bloody.

What they didn't know, however, was that Serena had an eidetic and photographic memory, allowing her to remember every event of her life. She knew her parents could do strange things like she could, and had called it magic. She also knew her parents had been killed by another man who could use magic, and that the same man had tried to kill her too. But somehow he'd failed to do so, and destroyed his own body in the process. She would never forget his face. She also remembered a man all in black, who had cradled and cried over her mother's body. She remembered him picking her up when she cried, rocking her and comforting her. She remembered how safe he'd made her feel…

She closed her eyes and sighed. Sometimes she wished he'd just taken her with him, so she wouldn't have ended up here, but she believed that things happened for a reason. She then concentrated on her magic, feeling it swirl around her as her injuries healed, some scaring over. She had long learned how to control her magic, after the fourth accident and beating. She had learned to hide her emotions behind mental walls so no more accidents happened; she'd read a book on meditating, which had helped tremendously. She only used her magic to heal herself when her injuries were severe, like now. But since the accidents had stopped, Vernon found other ways to beat her; not completing a list of chores impossible to complete in one day, not having dinner ready on time, etc. The main thing she got beaten for nowadays was because she had better grades than Dudley, which wasn't hard. The spoiled brat was dumber than a rock and had the grades to show for it. Serena on the other hand had an IQ of one hundred eighty-eight and could read twenty thousand words a minute. Add on her eidetic and photographic memory, and she had the highest grades in her year. In other words, she was a genius. She'd even taught herself how to read and write by sneaking old books, pencil nubs, and scrap paper into her cupboard.

More than once it had been recommended that Serena move up a year or two, but her aunt and uncle refused. They had wanted her to get worse grades than Dudley on purpose, but she refused; she'd rather get beaten than degrade herself like that. Her genius status also helped her to control her magic quickly, even without training.

Once her injuries had healed, she pulled out a wrinkled, worn letter from under her ratty pillow. She'd received it about a week ago, and was smart enough to slip it into hr cupboard before taking the rest of the mail to Vernon. It was a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, telling her she would be attending said school on September first. Since her relatives were muggles, which she assumed to be a term for people with no magic, a professor from Hogwarts would be arriving on July thirty-first, her birthday, to take her to a place called Diagon Alley to get the school supplies on the list that had been included with the letter. July thirsty-first was tomorrow.

She caressed the letter lovingly, unfolding it to read it once more though she'd memorized it the first time she read it. Besides the shopping trip tomorrow, this was the best birthday present she'd ever received. This was her ticket out. She smirked. She knew Vernon would give her annual birthday beating as soon as he woke up, and it was going to be worse because she'd healed herself. She knew that once the professor arrived, they would see her fresh injuries, old and new scars, her malnourishment, and her overly baggy hand-me-downs. She hoped it would be enough for them to remove her from the Dursleys permanently. She carefully re-folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope, returning it to its place under her pillow. She then curled up on her broken down mattress under her thin, ratty blanket, and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

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The morning of July thirty-first dawned early for Serena; she had learned early on to be awake before the others and be ready when they let her out, or she'd be beaten for "laziness." She couldn't help but smile as she dressed, sliding her letter and supply list into the pocket of her trousers. Then she sat cross-legged on her mattress, closing her eyes and taking a deep, calming breath. Meditating helped her to bring up her mental walls and to put every emotion, every thought, safely behind them. She also put her acknowledgement of pain behind her mental walls; she knew how bad it would be today, and she would need the careful, blissful blankness in her mind she was creating.

Loud thudding on the stairs alerted her of her uncle's approach. She opened her eyes and waited as she heard the lock slide open. The door slammed open.

"Out, now," she heard Vernon growl. She climbed out of her cupboard for what she hoped was the last time, and turned to face the monster with the face of a man. She watched as he froze, looking over her and seeing all injuries from the day before healed. His face twisted in anger and disgust, turning an ugly shade of purple, before he plunged his fist into her abdomen. She doubled over, the wind having been knocked out of her, and fell to the floor. Then he proceeded to kick her harshly anywhere he could, breaking her nose and a couple of ribs. He purposely stepped on her ankle with all his weight, breaking it with a sickening crack. He paused for a moment as he removed his belt, before he proceeded to beat her over the back with the buckle, leaving bloody welts under the fabric of her shirt.

Once he'd grown bored of this, he put his belt back on and jerked her up off the floor by her right arm, breaking her wrist under his grip and dislocating her shoulder. He then punched her in the mouth, knocking out a couple teeth. He wrapped a hand around her throat and slammed her into the wall. Blood ran steadily down her face from her nose, split lip, and mouth.

"Now listen here, you little freak," Vernon snarled. "You are going to clean up this mess," he gestured to the blood and teeth on the floor, "and you're going to make us breakfast. You will sit on the floor and watch us eat while you have nothing. I _may_ be generous and let you have a bit of water if you behave and do all of your chores today. And if you do anything freaky to heal yourself again, your next punishment will be ten times worse. Do you understand me?"

Serena nodded slowly.

"Good," Vernon hissed, throwing her to the floor. Serena coughed and gasped for breath as Vernon went into the living room. Once she could breathe again, she kept her breaths shallow as to not aggravate her broken ribs. She also had to breathe through her mouth because of her broken nose. She briefly touched the pocket that contained her letter, drawing strength from it, before pushing herself up off the floor and limping into the kitchen. She rinsed her mouth with warm salt water to staunch the bleeding, pinching her nose to stop the bleeding there. Once she had stopped bleeding, she washed the blood off her face and neck, before going over to the cleaning supplied. She grabbed a trash bag, paper towels, and a bucket. She poured a bit of bleach into the bucket and filled it the rest of the way with water.

Picking up the bucket and her other supplies, she went back into the hallway, kneeling on the floor. She picked up the teeth that had been knocked out and pocketed them so she could use her magic to put them back later. Then she wiped up the blood on the floor as best she could before carefully spreading the bleach solution onto the area her blood had occupied. She put the bloody paper towels into the trash bag, setting it and the roll of paper towels aside so she could clean up the bleach solution later. She then took the bucket back into the kitchen and dumped the rest of the solution down the sink, rinsing out the bucket and putting it back in its place. Then she proceeded to gather the ingredients for a full English breakfast.

She placed the griddle on the stove and turned on the two burners it rested on, turning once on lower than the other and lightly brushed it with extra virgin olive oil. Once the griddle was heated, she placed the sausages on. She turned the oven on the lowest setting, placing a plate on the middle rack. She quickly flipped the sausages before pulling on gloves and cleaning up the bleach solution in the hallway. She took the trash bag out to the trash can and came back in time to flip the sausages again. She added the bacon to the griddle, cooking it four minutes on each side before placing it on the plate in the oven. She prepared the mushrooms and put them on the griddle, cooking them for the appropriate time on each side, flipping the sausages again. She then placed the mushrooms on each plate, adding the sausages to the plate in the oven. Then she cut up and cooked the black pudding, placing it on each plate.

She then turned off the burners heating the griddle and pulled out a separate pan, oiling it and frying three pieces of bread. She then cut each piece in half and placed the halves on each plate. She fried an egg each and plated them, adding the sausages and the bacon. She cut a tomato into slices, sneaking one into her mouth and chewing quickly, before she seasoned them and plated them. She set each plate on the table with ketchup and brown sauce. She set out the orange juice and milk on the table and glasses with the plates, and put Vernon's coffee beside his plate. She was tempted to spit in it, but didn't. She retrieved his newspaper and placed it next to his plate before going into the living room. Aunt Petunia and Dudley had joined Vernon at some point.

"Breakfast is ready," she told them emotionlessly, before going and sitting in a corner of the kitchen so she could watch them eat. She internally sneered in disgust as she watched the three of them eat, Vernon reading the paper; the only things appetizing to her were the tomatoes and mushrooms – she liked eggs, but not sunny-side up. Halfway through breakfast, the doorbell rang, and Serena inwardly smirked. This was it.

"Get the door, Freak," Vernon snapped. Serena pushed herself off the floor and exited the kitchen. She slowly allowed herself to feel some of the pain she was in, gasping almost silently as she limped on her broken ankle. She allowed some of the pain to reflect in her eyes; she knew there was no way whomever was on the other side of this door would let her stay here when they saw the state she was in, and the pain she felt in her eyes. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wincing, before opening the door. There, standing before her, was the man in flowing black robes with shoulder length black hair and piercing black eyes from her memory.

"It's you," she whispered.

The man before her stared at her with a frown on his face; she knew what he was seeing. Two black eyes forming, a broken nose, a split lip, old and new scars on her visible skin, her bruised broken wrist, her shallow mouth breathing, missing teeth, the blood on her shirt, and how she was favoring one leg over the other. Not to mention the three sizes too big boys' clothes she wore.

"You know me?" the man asked in a deep, velvety voice.

"I don't know your name," Serena murmured. "But I remember you. You were there the night my parents died. You cried over my mother's body and you comforted me when I cried."

The man froze in shock. "How do you remember that night?"

"I have an eidetic and photographic memory," Serena explained quietly. "I remember every event to have happened in my life."

"Extraordinary," the man murmured. "I am Severus Snape; I am a professor at Hogwarts."

"I'm sure you know who I am," Serena said, amusement flashing in her eyes. The corners of Severus's mouth twitched as he nodded.

"The more important question," Severus said, "is who did that to you." He gestured to her injuries. Serena sneered.

"The man that calls himself my uncle," Serena growled. "He's beaten me since I was three, when I had my first bout of accidental magic, and for stupid reasons."

Severus's lips curled into a snarl. "Such as?"

"Such as having better grades than their spoiled whale of a son," Serena told him. "That's not particularly hard; a rock is smarter than he is. But I have an IQ of one hundred eighty-eight and I can read twenty thousand words a minute. It's been requested more than once that I skip a year or two."

"Freak!" they heard Vernon call. "Get back in here! Now!"

"I think it's time someone showed this man that it is not okay to abuse a child," Severus growled.

Serena smirked. "Please do. Just a second."

She pulled her missing teeth out of her pocket and held them up to her open mouth. Then she closed her eyes and concentrated her magic on her injuries. She felt it swirl around her as her ankle, wrist, and rib bones healed. Her nose snapped back into place, the black eyes disappearing. Her teeth flew back into their respective places, the cut on her lip healed, her shoulder popped back into place, and the welts on her back scarred over. She stretched and rolled her neck and shoulders, breathing in deeply. She turned to look at Severus.

"I learned to control my magic very quickly," she informed his surprised form. "It was the reason I was beaten at first."

"To beat a child because they're different is revolting," Severus muttered. "I have to say, that is the first time I've actually seen a person's magic. Usually it isn't visible, or as colorful."

"Another way I'm unique then," Serena said, turning to lead Severus into the kitchen where her "family" still sat eating.

The first thing Vernon noticed when they entered the room was that Serena had healed herself again, walking into the room with her head held high, her expression defiant. His face contorted in rage.

"What did I tell you about freaky ways to heal yourself, Freak?!" he snarled, standing and going to punch her in the face. Serena just stood there and stared at him, one eyebrow raised. Even in her baggy clothes she had an elegant air to her. Suddenly, Vernon was blasted back into the wall, causing the house to shake.

"You will never harm this girl again," Severus snarled. Serena noticed that he had a long, elegant piece of wood in his hand; she believed she remembered her parents calling it a wand. It was pointed at her uncle. Her aunt gasped when she saw him while Dudley had run to cower in a corner; well, as well as his overlarge body would let him anyway.

"You!" she shrieked.

"Hello, Tuney," Severus sneered. "Did you miss me?"

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"I'm a professor at Hogwarts now," he told her, causing her to whiten. "I came here to take Serena shopping for her school supplies, but it seems I'll be removing her from your residence permanently."

"Take her," Petunia snapped. "Good riddance."

"You know, I could easily have you arrested for child abuse," Serena said casually, examining her nails lazily. "And believe me; I have gathered enough evidence over the years to have you two locked up for years." She tapped her head with a finger. "I'm sure there's a way for magic to take the information out of my head and put it on paper somewhere. Poor little Diddikins would end up in foster care. But because this is the best birthday I've had since I was one year old, and I don't want to ruin it with police statements and an investigation, I'm going to let it go…for now. But keep an ear out; I might just get an itch to report you at any time. Good day."

With that she turned and walked out of the room, stealing a mushroom from Vernon's plate as she went. Severus followed her out of the house and shut the door behind him. He watched silently as she quickly, yet daintily, consumed the mushroom in her hand. Even as she ate it, her stomach growled.

"When was the last time you ate?" Severus asked her.

"Before the mushroom I just ate and the tomato slice I snuck this morning?" Serena asked. "Tuesday last, I think. I haven't had a proper meal since I lived with my parents."

Severus clicked his tongue, shooting a deadly glare back at the house. "Perhaps we should get some real food into you before we walk around Diagon Alley. I don't need you fainting on me."

"That's fine," Serena agreed readily. "But I must warn you, though I've been starved most of my life, I'm a pretty picky eater. I do not like bread or anything sweet, except for some dark chocolate I'd gotten my hands on when I was younger; Dudley didn't like it because it wasn't sweet enough. I also do not like sausages, black pudding, or meat products that use parts of the animal no one else eats otherwise. I'm not fond of white potatoes, but I'll eat them. I don't really care for greasy foods either. I prefer fresh meats, dairy products such as cheese and yogurt, fruits, and vegetables. And I only drink water; I can't stomach anything else."

"Perhaps it's because you were abused that caused you to be so picky," Severus suggested. "You can't stomach those things you listed off."

Serena snorted. "That and I've seen what it does to Dudley. I may be severely underweight now, but I never want to end up the size he is."

"I can see that logic," Severus muttered, shuttering as he thought of how big that boy was. "Well, since you have such a limited pallet, I shall take you my home so you can eat there." Severus held his arm out to her. "Take my arm."

"Why?" Serena asked warily.

"I'm going to apparate us," Severus told her patiently. "It's like teleportation; I focus on our destination, and we pop out of existence here and reappear there."

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"It feels like you're being squeezed through a tiny tube," Severus admitted. "Most people fall over or vomit their first time in side-along; or both. All I ask is that you don't vomit on me."

Serena laughed and took his arm. "I will try, but I make no promises."

Severus huffed in amusement as he shook his head. "You do have your letter and supply list correct?"

"In my pocket," Serena said. "Not that I need them. I memorized them the moment I read them; the perks of having an eidetic and photographic memory."

"Very well," Severus said. "Hold on tight."

With that, they disappeared with a quiet pop.

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 **This is my first chapter guys! I will try to put up the second chapter soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update; I'm currently in college and I am taking some very challenging classes. Therefore homework is taking up a lot of my time. A big thanks to those who reviewed, I always appreciate some feedback. A couple of people had questions so I'm going to answer them.**

 **There are actually people out there who read 20,000 words a minute. I actually got it from Dr. Spencer Reid from a show called Criminal Minds.**

 **I don't think Serena came off arrogant, but if she did, don't you think she has reason? Look at all she's been through in the past ten years!**

 **Someone asked me to give a better description of Serena, so there is one in this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Harry Potter. Severus would not have died if I did.**

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Chapter Two

They had reappeared in front of a gate that held behind it a majestic, gothic mansion. To Severus's surprise, Serena landed on her feet and didn't look even slightly green. She noticed him staring and smirked.

"Wondering why I'm not on the ground and/or vomiting right now?" she asked, amused. "I don't really know how to explain it; but I guess it's because I'm able to put everything I'm feeling – emotions, pain, nausea, etc. – behind mental walls. It keeps me calm and composed. It was something I learned to keep from having anymore 'accidents.'"

"You're a natural Occlemens?" Severus said in surprise. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, with the power you've shown so far."

"Occlemens?" Serena asked, slightly confused, as they walked through the gate towards the mansion.

"Occlemency is the art of defending your mind," Severus explained. "There are people who try to invade others' minds with another mind art called Legilimency. Voldemort was one of these people. They normally do it to find information to either see if someone is lying or what their true intentions are."

"Interesting," Serena murmured. "Could two people communicate using Legilimency?"

"I wouldn't know," Severus said. "No one's ever tried it before. I should also tell you, there are very few people who can achieve Occlemency, and even fewer that can achieve Legilimency. Usually those who are able to achieve it are extremely powerful or naturally able to do so. I'm sure you would have no issue with Legilimency if you picked up on Occlemency so quickly and so young."

"I think I would like to try it," Serena murmured, before finally taking a good look at the location in which they had appeared. She blinked in awe. "You live here?"

"Yes," Severus said. "It's not my manor specifically; the family who lives here are very good friends of mine, the only people I would consider family. This is Malfoy Manor."

"It's beautiful," Serena murmured, looking around. To her left she saw a pure white peacock strutting along one of the tall bushes that substituted as a wall. A massive marble fountain sat in the middle of the courtyard. She could just see the edges of a beautiful garden around the sides of the giant building, of which looked to be made of the finest granite. The heavy wooden doors looked to be intricately carved mahogany, which fit well with the granite.

"Lucius will preen when you tell him that," Severus muttered. "I will inform you now; the Malfoys are very prestigious; they are one of the oldest pureblood families in Wizarding Britain. They are one of the richest families as well. And believe me; Lucius has the ego to go with the expensive manor and possessions."

"He sounds…charming," Serena deadpanned. Severus laughed.

"He is, actually," Severus said. "He has an ego, but he's a great man. He's my best friend and the closest thing I have to a brother. He's also very influential; he works in the Ministry of Magic – it's the Wizarding World's version of a government – and he has the Minister and other very important people in his pocket. He is also on the Board of Education for Hogwarts."

"Sounds like someone I would benefit in knowing," Serena said as they reached the door. She raised her eyebrow at the creature that opened the door. It was shorter and skinnier than she was (and that was saying something), with giant bat-like ears, eyes the size of tennis balls, and a pencil nose. It was wearing a clean, crisp, white pillowcase with a crest on it. It bowed as they walked in.

"Welcome to Malfoy Manor," it said in a high, squeaky voice. "I is Dobby. I is taking you to Master Lucius."

"What is that thing?" Serena whispered to Severus as they followed the little creature.

"That is a house-elf," Severus murmured. "They have served Wizarding families for generations. A family of house-elves usually serves the same family they were born into unless they are sold. They are only allowed to wear clothes if they are freed, which is devastating for them. They live to serve."

Serena wasn't sure how she felt about this creature, speaking as she herself was treated like said creature for eleven years of her life, but she said nothing. She looked around her as they walked; she noticed that the walls were the same granite that was outside and the floors were the same mahogany wood of the door. Not to mention the place was _huge_! She saw all kinds of doors leading to different rooms; most of them were closed, but she did get a glimpse of a ballroom, a formal dining room with a table that could sit fifty people comfortably, and a couple of sitting rooms.

On the walls were paintings of what she assumed were the Malfoy ancestors, and she wasn't surprised to see them move and converse with each other. Strategically placed vases, tables, and statues elegantly decorated the entrance hall and the hallway. She turned her attention back in front of her when Dobby opened a door and motioned them inside.

Serena immediately began looking around this room too. She noticed it was also a dining room, but it was less formal than the one they had passed earlier on. The table sat six, with a crystal chandelier hanging over top. A fireplace sat in the middle of the wall across from her, with another painting mounted above it. It was a family portrait, from what she could tell; the occupants of the portrait were currently not in their frame, leaving a velvet red sofa sitting alone against a granite wall.

She then noticed the three people sitting around the table. At the head of the table was a man with long platinum blonde hair and piercing grey eyes. He wore fine tailored emerald green robes, and she could see the chain of a pocket watch draping across his chest. A cane that had a silver snake head with emerald eyes leaned against the table beside him.

On his left was a woman with half blonde, half black hair and chocolate brown eyes. She wore midnight blue robes that looked as if they were made of silk. She and the man at the head of the table were holding hands as they ate their breakfast. Across from the woman was a boy around her age, with slicked back blonde hair and eyes like his father. All three looked up when Serena and Severus entered the room. Confusion passed over the man's face.

"Severus," he greeted. "I thought you had errands to run for Hogwarts today."

"I do," Severus said, ushering Serena into view. "I was to take Miss Serena Potter to Diagon Alley today to get her supplies as her relatives are muggles, but ended up taking her from their residence completely."

The three family members' eyes swept over Serena, taking in her greasy long black hair, her dirty skin, her overlarge boys' clothes, and her obvious malnutrition with expressions of shock.

"What on earth did they do to her?" the woman gasped.

"Let me make introductions first," Severus admonished. "Serena, this is Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, and their son Draco."

"It's nice to meet you," Serena said politely, bowing slightly.

"And you as well," Lucius acknowledged, bowing his head slightly.

"Now answer my question, Severus," Narcissa pushed.

"My aunt and uncle aren't very nice people," Serena said softly.

"That's an understatement," Severus muttered. "When I went to pick her up, she was sporting several injuries. A broken nose, a broken ankle, perhaps some broken ribs and a broken wrist; not to mention she had bloody gashes showing through her shirt on her back. She also had a couple of her teeth knocked out. And she'd been forced to cook her aunt, uncle, and their vile son breakfast with these injuries and sit in a corner watching as they ate and she got nothing."

"That's barbaric," Narcissa hissed. Serena shrugged.

"I'm used to it by now," Serena said nonchalantly.

"That just makes it worse," Lucius said, his eyes flashing. "Why in the world would anyone treat a child like that? And what's with your clothes?"

"At first it started with my first magical accident," Serena explained. "They hate anything that has to do with magic, and my uncle was trying to 'beat the freakishness' out of me. Nowadays it's mainly for stupid things; not getting and impossible number of chores done in a certain amount of time, not having dinner ready on time, etc.; or if I have better grades than their son, which isn't hard because he's dumber than a rock. They spoil that child; he gets whatever he wants, or he has a tantrum. Which can be dangerous for other's because he's about the size of a baby whale. And as for the clothes, they're my cousin's hand-me-downs. They didn't want to waste money on me, hence the reason they're so big."

"See, this is why we don't care for muggles much," Lucius growled. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Tuesday last," Serena said. "Not counting the tomato slice and mushroom I stole this morning."

"Well, that won't do," Narcissa said.

"That's why I brought her here," Severus said. "She could use a good meal and a bath. I don't want her passing out on me as we shop."

"Why didn't you fight back?" Draco piped up, finally joining the conversation.

"Because I knew I would eventually be taken away," Serena said, refusing to elaborate at the moment. Her stomach growled loudly, and she was filthy. A bath and food sounded really good at the moment.

"If I could possibly bathe first, that would be great," Serena said politely. "I wouldn't want to dirty up your fabulous furniture."

"Of course," Narcissa said, standing. "I'll take you to my personal bath; that way I can pick out some of my clothing for you and transfigure it to fit you."

"Thank you very much," Serena said, following the woman out of the room.

Narcissa led her up two flights of stairs and into a set of rooms. Serena followed Narcissa through a sitting room, the bedroom, and into the bathroom, noticing how well decorated each room was.

"Mina!" Narcissa called, and another house-elf appeared in the bathroom. This elf had blue eyes instead of green, rather normal looking nose, and her skin was a pinkish tone. She bowed to Narcissa.

"What can Mina be doing for Mistress?" Mina asked.

"I need you to run a bath for Miss Serena," Narcissa told the little elf. The elf immediately went over to the bath. Narcissa turned to Serena. "Mina is my personal elf," she said. "She will take care of any needs you have. What is your favorite scent?"

"I'm fond of roses and freesia," Serena said. She watched in fascination as the elf waved a hand over the bath and it began to run. The water was steaming and smelled of roses and freesia.

"I'll leave you to your bath," Narcissa said. "I'll go pick out a few outfits and lay them on the bed. Come into the bedroom once you're finished. Mina will wash your hair for you."

"Thank you," Serena said, and waited until Narcissa had left the room before stripping of her dirty, bloody clothes. She examined herself in the mirror and felt disgust; not for herself, but for the people who had caused her to look as she did. She was so skinny, mainly skin and bones. You could count her ribs a great distance away, as well as the knobs of her spine. She was covered in scars; long and short, fat and skinny, shallow and deep. She took a deep breath, before smiling. Soon, she would no longer look like a famine victim; she would gain a healthy weight, and she would be able to learn martial arts as she had always longed to so she could gain strength and keep herself healthy.

She turned away from the mirror and stepped into the bath, leaning her head back with her eyes closed, sighing in contentment. It had been a while since she'd had a hot bath. She relaxed as the little elf began to massage shampoo into her hair; she could feel the filth separating from her skin. She leaned her head back as Mina rinsed her hair and applied soothing hair oils, before she stepped out of the bath and allowed the elf to wrap a towel around her. She thoroughly dried herself off before she entered the bedroom. Narcissa was sitting on the bed with a book. She looked up as Serena entered the room.

"Much better," she approved. "I'm sure you feel better?"

"Much," Serena agreed. "It's been a long time since I've had a hot bath. They've only allowed me cold ten minute showers."

Narcissa shook her head. "You really should have those people locked up."

"Oh, I'm planning to eventually," Serena said examining the clothes Narcissa had laid out for her. "But I didn't want to ruin the best birthday I've had in ten years with police and an investigation."

"That's right, it's your birthday today, isn't it," Narcissa mused. Serena nodded absently as she picked up the underwear and bra thoughtfully. "You would think they would give you a break on your birthday, wouldn't you?"

Serena snorted. "The opposite actually; it's a lot worse. He beat me up really bad on my birthday because he said I should never have been born. That's also my Christmas present; a good beating."

Narcissa sighed. "I shouldn't be surprised," she said. "From what you had already told me I should have expected that."

Serena shrugged. "Like I said, I'm used to it by now." She pulled the underwear on and grabbed the bra before turning around and dropping the towel. Narcissa gasped. Serena felt her fingers trace the word "Freak" that had been carved into her upper back.

"That was his favorite thing to call me," Serena said casually, putting the bra on and turning back around. "I guess he figured I should be branded with it as well." She saw the look on Narcissa's face. "Don't. They don't bother me, so don't let them bother you. They just reflect a chapter of the story that is my life. It's over and done with, and they mean nothing. Don't worry over it."

Narcissa took a deep breath to steady herself and nodded. She pulled out her wand and transfigured the bra and underwear to fit Serena. Then Serena began to browse the outfits laid out. Eventually she picked an emerald green flowing summer dress that enhanced her eyes. Again Narcissa transfigured it to fit her.

"Will you let me do your hair?" Narcissa asked. "It's been a while since I've done anyone's hair."

Serena smiled. "Sure," she agreed. "I've never had anyone do my hair for me; not since I was one-year-old, anyway."

Narcissa led Serena over to her vanity and sat her down, running the brush through her hair. She then twisted Serena's hair into an elegant plait down her back. Serena examined it in the mirror and smiled, thanking Narcissa.

"It was no trouble, dear," she said. "I used to do my sisters' hair all the time; I must confess I missed it. I love Draco, but I was a bit disappointed I didn't have a girl."

"Maybe later on down the road," Serena suggested.

"Perhaps," Narcissa said. "Though I'll be satisfied with doing your hair."

"I'd love for you to do it again," Serena said. Suddenly her stomach growled, causing both of them to laugh.

"Perhaps I should take you back to the dining room and get some food into you," Narcissa said.

"That would be greatly appreciated," Serena agreed.

Narcissa lead Serena back into the informal dining room, where Severus now sat at the table with Lucius and Draco. He nodded his head when he saw Serena.

"Much better," he said as she sat down next to him. "Now we just need to get you to a satisfactory weight."

"And we shall," Lucius said, snapping his fingers. Another house-elf appeared in the room. "Please get Mistress Serena whatever she desires."

Serena thought for a moment. "An omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and yellow peppers with half a grapefruit. Perhaps a fruit salad. And a glass of water."

"Pippin be back with Mistress' food," the elf said, bowing and popping back out.

"No meat?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. Serena shook her head.

"I'm a very picky eater, despite having been starved for most of my life," she said. "I've seen what fatty, greasy foods did to my cousin; I don't want to end up the size of a small whale. I do eat meat, but I'm very picky about it."

Pippin returned with Serena's food and placed it in front of her. The smell made her stomach growl again, and she had to force herself to eat slowly and properly instead of wolfing it down like she'd been raised by…well, wolves. She managed to finish most of her omelet, all of her grapefruit, and half of her fruit salad before she couldn't eat anymore. She drained her water and sighed in contentment.

"It's nice to have a full belly for once," she said happily. "So, Diagon Alley?"

"Are you ready?" Severus asked, wiping his mouth from eating his own breakfast and standing. Serena snorted. "Like I have anything else to do."

Severus smirked. "I guess I should wait and tell you about the Manor's library then," he said. Serena perked up.

"There's a library here?" she asked, eyes alight. Lucius chuckled.

"She's a lot like you, Severus," he said. "She seems to have a love for books like you do."

"Oh, I do," Serena said, smirking. "I could probably read your whole library in two days, or less."

Lucius raised his eyebrow skeptically. "Somehow I doubt that," he said.

"I don't," Severus chuckled. "But we need to go to Diagon Alley first. We'll explain later."

"We'll come with you," Narcissa said, standing as well. "We need to get Draco's things as well."

"Can we go by floo?" Draco asked excitedly. Serena turned to Severus and raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"It's a form of travel," Severus explained. "It's easier to explain while doing it."

"We can take the floo," Lucius agreed, standing as well. Pippin popped in and cleared the table before popping out again. He led the way to one of the other room, which turned out to be a small room containing only a fireplace, which had a pot of green powder sitting on the mantle. "Draco, would you like to show her?"

"Yes!" he crowed, grabbing the pot. Lucius lit the fire. "So what you do," Draco said, taking on a lecturing voice that made him sound kind of stuck up and arrogant, "is you throw a handful of Floo powder and throw it into the fire." He reached into the pot and did as he had said. "Then you announce where you want to go; but make sure you say it loud and clear, or you'll end up elsewhere. Floo travel is tricky like that. Once you announce your destination, you step into the fire. Then you'll appear in the fireplace of the location you had called out." He turned to the fire. "Diagon Alley!" he shouted, before stepping into the fire and disappearing.

"Easy enough," Serena said. "Though he sounded like an arrogant little brat when he explained it."

"That's just how Draco is," Severus said. He lowered his head so only she would hear him. "He's a lot like his father at that age." Serena snickered.

"I heard that," Lucius said casually, throwing Floo Powder into the fire and following his son. Narcissa was next, and then Severus stepped up.

"One thing he didn't tell you, is that while you're traveling, you spin," Severus told her. "I think you'll be fine, since you did well with Side-Along, but I'll go ahead of you just in case you fall out of the fireplace. That way I can catch you and you won't fall on your face. But like I said, I'm not worried." Then he, too, disappeared in a flash of green flames. Serena took a deep breath; there was no way she was going to tell them, but she was a bit nervous. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, before she reached for the green powder and threw it into the fire.

"Diagon Alley!" she called clearly, stepping into the fire.

And she did spin, or more like the openings to fireplaces spun passed her. But it wasn't too bad, at least for her. But that could be because she was Occluding. Once things stopped spinning, she stepped out of the fireplace and brushed soot off her outfit. She looked up to see Draco staring at her in astonishment. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Even _I_ fall out of the fireplace," he said, almost pouting. "How did you not fall out on your first time?"

"If I told you, I wouldn't have any secrets, now would I?" she said, smirking. Severus snorted in amusement and cleared the soot off Serena's clothes with a wave of his wand.

"Shall we get going then?" Narcissa asked. They were about to head to the back of a pub called the Leaky Cauldron, when a voice called out to them.

"Serena?" it asked. "Serena Potter?"


End file.
